Definition: [Astrological Ages] Because of the
Precession of the Earth, over the period of a
Great Year the north Pole
Star changes. This is not because the stars are changing, but because our
Viewpoint of the stars changes
very slowly because of Precession.
Precession can be thought of as the slow movement of
the Earth's axis with respect to the stars. Hence, as the axis is moving, with
time it points to different places in the heavens. The dotted circle on the
figure below shows all the places that the axis will point to over a complete
Great Year. Back in 2700 BC the axis pointed to the star Thuban, the
Snake; now it points to Polaris
©
|
The Changing Pole Star How to
understand this star map: Have a look bottom left, that's the date in years. It
starts in 3000 BC, [the BC years have a minus sign in front] when astrology was
just beginning amongst the Mesopotamian culture, and goes through to 8000 AD.
As the years change the figure is showing you a picture of the night sky at the
time. It stops momentarily at 2000 AD to show you the sky as it looks now.
Next, have a look at the spot marked Zenith
in the center of the star map. That spot marks the point in the night sky where
- over the centuries - the
North Celestial
Pole lies. You can see that as the centuries pass, different stars are the
star at the Zenith. [A dotted circular line has been drawn on the figure so you
can see which stars will become the
Pole Star as the
centuries pass.] Currently, the star Polaris, α Ursae Minoris is
the Pole Star. Back in
2700 BC the star Thuban, α Draconis, in the constellation of the
Dragon, was be the Pole Star. This is one of
the faintest stars in the sky to have a name, doubtless because it was of such
importance to our astrological ancestors. |
Key Concepts...
© Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological
Historian |
|
Historical Astrology
See the new
Astrological Index
for the meaning of other astrological words and phrases
Galactic
Zodiac
|